Industry Experts Discuss Innovations and
Strategic Approaches to Enhancing Food Safety Standards
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 24,
2024 /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI),
hosted its 14th annual Food Safety Symposium as part of the
company's commitment to providing safe food for all Canadians and
foster knowledge sharing among experts within the food industry.
The symposium gathered industry leaders and experts to discuss the
transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing
food safety.
"AI and food safety are deeply intertwined, with AI transforming
our business in ways we are only beginning to understand," said
Curtis Frank, President and
CEO, Maple Leaf Foods. "Our deep commitment to food safety is
rooted in our past and in our everyday promises in how we hold
ourselves accountable and continue to set the highest standards. We
must continuously advance our efforts to deliver safe, nutritious
food and use AI to build a safer, more sustainable food
system."
Keynote speaker, Nihar Dalmia,
Partner, Omnia AI, Deloitte, spoke about the evolution of AI,
emphasizing the pivotal moment we're at with AI in the food
industry. "We're on the cusp of an AI revolution: we've moved from
AI being tools for scientists and large corporations to now being
for all of us. It's critical to understand the potential of
AI and how to drive tangible business value," said Dalmia. "Looking
ahead, we see trends like smart packaging, AI-powered robotics, and
personalized food safety solutions shaping the industry. What comes
next, as organizations scale AI initiatives, is navigating the
technological change and enabling AI agents to shape organizations
with comprehensive, responsible AI practices."
The Symposium featured a panel discussion with Conor Cahil, Head of Science & Innovation,
Dawn Farms Foods and Dr. James
Doyle, Director of Global Accounts, Crème Global, which
emphasized the importance of precise data acquisition, optimizing
processes, and how AI enhances long-term sustainability and
consumer safety. Case study examples presented by Dawn Farms Foods
highlighted their forensic approach to food safety that uses AI to
enhance labelling controls, quality monitoring, intuitive training,
and predictive detection.
Entrepreneurial technology firms were also featured at The
Symposium where they highlighted innovative food safety solutions,
such as automated quality and safety inspection technology that
detects foreign materials using hyperspectral imaging, data
analytics that help predict food recalls and provide best practices
for dealing with outbreaks, and AI advancements to eradicate
foodborne illnesses.
The Symposium underscored the need for businesses to integrate
AI responsibly while harnessing its full potential to revolutionize
food safety practices.
"Food safety data is plentiful in food manufacturing
organizations and the key to unlocking the value of AI is to have
access to clean data that is related to the most critical food
safety problems," said Dr. Randy
Huffman, Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer, Maple
Leaf Foods. "Ensuring that data is trustworthy is paramount, as AI
models will not fix bad data, only competent employees and
well-designed processes ensure data integrity."
"We approach AI with intense curiosity, understanding both its
possibilities and limitations. AI is bringing new opportunities
into our business, from yield improvement to virtual assistants,
and it's crucial to understand what it can do for us," said
Andreas Liris, Chief Technology
& Information Officer, Maple Leaf Foods. "The promise of AI is
great, but we need to invest wisely and leverage the right
technologies to enhance our food safety standards and drive
long-term growth."
For information on food safety at Maple Leaf Foods,
visit:
https://www.mapleleaffoods.com/our-commitments/safe-food/
About Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. ("Maple Leaf Foods") is a carbon neutral
company with a vision to be the most sustainable protein company on
earth, responsibly producing food products under leading brands
including Maple Leaf®, Maple Leaf Prime®,
Maple Leaf Natural Selections®, Schneiders®,
Schneiders® Country Naturals®,
Mina®, Greenfield Natural Meat Co.®,
Lightlife® and Field Roast™. Maple Leaf Foods
employs approximately 14,000 people and does business
in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The company is
headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and its shares trade on the Toronto
Stock Exchange (MFI).
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SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.